Waltz This Way (v1.1) Read Online Free

“Right here in River City.”
    “You could always come stay with us, Mel. We have plenty of room.” And they did. Jackie and Frank had eight thousand square feet, a guesthouse, four kids, two rabbits, a snake, five dogs, and a tarantula. All on three glorious acres.
    Helpless rage sank to the pit of her stomach. “And do what? I have nothing, Jackie. No money. No job skills. I don’t suppose you know of anyone hiring chubby one-time ballroom and Latin champions, do you?”
    Jackie grunted at her. “You let that shit make you think you’re fat. I’ve only told you a thousand times, Mel. You’re not fat. But Stan is a fathead. Yes, that fucker is.”
    Yes. That fucker was.
    “And you don’t have to work, honey. It’s not like we’d charge you rent. It’s not like we’re not filthy rich, you know. Why don’t you just come to the house— let me baby you for a little while. I’ll make pasta alla vodka,” she cajoled, mentioning one of Mel’s favorite dishes. “In the meantime, maybe Frank can talk to one of his lawyer buddies while they play the stupidest game on earth, golf, and we can figure out a way to squeeze something out of Stan’s pocket. Nothing’s ironclad anymore.”
    She used the corner of the collar on her sweater to wipe more tears from her eyes. “I think I just need to see my dad, Jackie. But I appreciate the offer.” No way was she leeching off her rich friend while she hunted for a job at Target and planned Stan’s homicide. The fewer people involved in the crime, the less she’d have to worry for their safety.
    “I can’t believe he put his shit out there on national TV like that. I didn’t like Stan from the moment I met you two, and you know it, but I never thought he’d do something this craptacular.”
    That much was true. Jackie had never hit it off with Stan when they’d met at a function twelve years ago for a children’s cancer charity. She hadn’t been afraid to share that they’d never do couple things together, but she and Mel had been almost inseparable since.
    “Do me a favor, would you?” Mel asked her friend.
    “Just ask.”
    “You’ll probably travel in the same circles as Stan, you know, being married to a big television producer. The next time you see Stan at some party or charity event, flip him the bird for me. In fact, use both hands when you do it.”
    As they pulled into LAX, Jackie growled, “You got it, BFF. Now you do me a favor?”
    “Because I have so many to give.”
    “Don’t rule out coming back to L.A. Living with your dad in a retirement village is not the place for a forty-something, beautiful woman who has hips that should have been registered as lethal weap-ons back in the day. I’m just not a Jersey, The Situation, Snooki kind of girl. New York I can do— there’s shopping. But I’m not sure I love you enough to fly to Jersey just so we can grab a hamburger and mar-garitas at some diner for BFF night.” Jackie followed her joke with a warm grin.
    Mel wanted to chuckle. She just couldn’t. “I’d say I’m hurt, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing left on me to hurt.” Mel popped open the door before Jackie could feel any sorrier for her, reaching back in to grab Weezer’s leash and her wallet. The first step she took made her teeth clench.
    Jackie was out and around the car in seconds, wrapping her slender arms around Mel’s neck. The scent of her perfume made more tears sting Mel’s eyes. “Make sure you ice that toe— it’s broken. It’s broken because of that fuckly fucker,” she snarled.
    “It’ll be fine. I’ve broken worse than a toe before.”
    “Yeah, but now you’re old and fat. Takes longer to heal,” Jackie joked.
    Mel gave her one more squeeze, forcing back the bitter flow of tears threatening to fall. “Thanks, Jackie. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come to check on me.”
    Jackie leaned down and gave Weezer’s big head a scratch. “You take care of Mommy, ’kay,